Abraham Lincoln

James M. McPherson

The best concise introduction to Lincoln in print.

Written by leading historian and bestselling author James M. McPherson.

Abraham Lincoln

James M. McPherson

Description

Marking the two-hundredth anniversary of Lincoln's birth, this marvelous short biography by a leading historian offers an illuminating portrait of one of the giants in the American story. It is the best concise introduction to Lincoln in print, a must-have volume for anyone interested in American history or in our greatest president.

Best-selling author James M. McPherson follows the son of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks from his early years in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, to his highly successful law career, his marriage to Mary Todd, and his one term in Congress. We witness his leadership of the Republican anti-slavery movement, his famous debates with Stephen A. Douglas (a long acquaintance and former rival for the hand of Mary Todd), and his emergence as a candidate for president in 1860. Following Lincoln's election to the presidency, McPherson describes his masterful role as Commander in Chief during the Civil War, the writing of the Emancipation Proclamation, and his assassination by John Wilkes Booth. The book also discusses his lasting legacy and why he remains a quintessential American hero two hundred years after his birth, while an annotated bibliography permits easy access to further scholarship.

With his ideal short account of Lincoln, McPherson provides a compelling biography of a man of humble origins who preserved our nation during its greatest catastrophe and ended the scourge of slavery.

Abraham Lincoln

James M. McPherson

Author Information

James M. McPherson is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University. He has published numerous volumes on the Civil War, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom, Crossroads of Freedom (which was a New York Times bestseller), Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution, and For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War, which won the Lincoln Prize.

Abraham Lincoln

James M. McPherson

Reviews and Awards

"I think the world of Jim McPherson. When people ask me which historians' writing today they should read, I always recommend Jim, as a writer and as an historian." --David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 1776 and John Adams

"A gem. Beautifully written, it is clear, concise, and correct. This is the best, very brief, biography of our sixteenth president ever written." --David Herbert Donald, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lincoln

"Abraham Lincoln at last has found his best short biography. Jim McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War historian, brings his vast knowledge and lucid writing to an illumination of the life of America's most revered President. McPherson touches more Lincoln bases than any reader might reasonably expect, winning a well-deserved accolade that less is truly more." --Ronald C. White, Jr., author of A. Lincoln: A Biography

"James McPherson's Abraham Lincoln should be read by every American, indeed by every person the world over, who wants to understand the preeminent American president. McPherson's biography--brief, analytical, beautifully written--encompasses the whole of Lincoln's life. In but a few hours, every reader of this remarkable, short book can know the major moments in the rise of Lincoln-- from a poor boy on the western frontier to one of the world's greatest statesmen."--Lewis Lehrman, author of Lincoln at Peoria: A Turning Point and founder of the Lincoln Institute

"This little book is bigger than its pages and should be in every library, schoolhouse, and home as a bicentennial birthday present to ourselves to remind us why Lincoln does indeed 'belong to the ages."--Library Journal

"McPherson knows how to cut to the heart of a man and his times." --Journal of Southern History